It’s a tuneful week of musicals and cabaret for this week’s top five theater picks. Click on the video to see why Motown the Musical at AT&T Performing Arts Center, Sweet Charity at WaterTower Theatre, The Color Purple at Jubilee Theatre Denise Lee in Too Old, Too Fat, Too Black, Songs I’ll Never Sing on Broadway and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream A Bollywood Spectacular made the list.

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Oklahoma! at Firehouse Theatre makes this week’s top five theater picks.

Get ready for a rockin’ week of theater. Check out this week’s video to see why Catch Me If You Can at Uptown Players, Simply Etta at Buttons Restaurant, I’m Always on My Mind from Uppermost Entertainment, Menopause the Musical at the Music Hall at Fair Park and Oklahoma! at Firehouse Theatre made this week’s top five theater picks. Also, watch for additional video on Oklahoma! and Theatre Three’s youth production of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr..

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Nancy Churnin and Chris Ramirez in the DMN Studio (Photo by Tommy Noel)

Chris Ramirez took a break from being Curly for the Stolen Shakespeare Guild’s Oklahoma! to show us what a beautiful morning it was in the DMN studio. He was so persuasive, we believed him, even though the clock had ticked well into the afternoon by the time he arrived. Check out this week’s Top Five Theater Picks to see why Pippin at Dallas Summer Musicals and Bass Hall; the Festival of Independent Theatres at Bath House Cultural Center; Don Quixote at Amphibian Stage Productions and Tree Pop at Hip Pocket Theatre also made this week’s list.

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You have one last chance to catch Les Miserables at Casa Manana Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Among the Broadway stars whose voices I admired in the show is Casa Kid alum Mary Michael Patterson, now a Broadway veteran who brings a lyrical soprano to a compelling Cosette. I caught up with Patterson, who starred as Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, for a quick Q and A. At least you better read it quickly, if you want time to catch her.

How does it feel to be back on the Casa Manana stage playing Cosette in Les Miserables?

It feels surreal!!! The theatre has changed quite a bit since I performed here last, but it’s wonderful. It’s a homecoming.

How old were you when you stepped on the stage for the first time? Do you have any memories in particular coming back?

I remember the first time I got up on the stage was for a theater school class. My sister, who is six years older, was already enrolled for many years and performing in the playhouse productions. I would run laps around the concourse in my diaper while she was rehearsing. Everyone that worked at the theatre then was a sort of a parent figure to me. I also remember a rehearsal for ’twas the Night Before Christmas (my stage debut!) where I played Lambchop. I was nervous and I had to go to the bathroom, but instead of saying anything, I just kept going, and wet myself. The show must go on!

How did the training and experience you received here prepare you for your career?

More than anything Casa Manana gave me the inspiration. This is really where I fell in love with it. I was watching fantastic actors all the time. It was thrilling to be in their presence, let alone be working with them. Also, funny enough, being a part of the Casa Kids group for so many years taught me the ability to be flexible and think on the fly. Sometime someone would get caught in traffic, or whatever the circumstance was, and someone else would have to fill in for them last minute. It took the delicacy out of it. You just had to get it done. That’s great training for being a professional actor.

What was your Broadway breakthrough role? How did you get it?

I made my Broadway debut in the Roundabout Revival of Anything Goes in 2011. I was in the ensemble and I understudied Hope Harcourt. I auditioned several times for several different tracks until I got that one. It ended up being a great fit!

What has been your favorite role so far?

I really loved playing Marianne in Sense and Sensibility in Denver. She is a funny girl. So romantic and full of life. And the music was gorgeous and a joy to sing.

Did you get a fresh perspective on the Phantom after playing Christine Daae?

Sure! A show always changes when you are on the inside of it. I hadn’t seen it since I was nine. Until I was cast as Christine I never fully appreciated how wonderful the design of the show is. Maria Bjornson designed the costumes and the set and they are both stunning. Also, Hal Prince is a masterful storyteller, and that was definitely lost on me before I was performing the role every night. It’s a really special show.

Why do think Les Miserables remains compelling to audiences after all these years?

It’s EPIC! And we love epic stories. It’s also sweeping and romantic, and the music is gorgeous and emotional. Apart from the aesthetic appeals, the story is INCREDIBLY relevant today. I think we will never tire of rooting for the underdog. Not to mention the students and their need for revolution and change, and more than anything to be heard. That story is timeless. And at the core of the show, the beautiful message that even when things are the absolute worst, another day will dawn and there is hope for a better tomorrow.

What does the show — and playing Cosette in the show — mean to you?

Cosette is the hope. She signifies the light and possibility for good amongst all the death and destruction. I very much enjoy playing that role in the story. It’s inspiring.

Where do you live now and what are your favorite things to do now that you’re back in Fort Worth?

I live in New York City. I am really enjoying visiting all of the cool new places to eat on Magnolia and near seventh street. It’s very different from when I was growing up here. I also am getting the chance to see family and friends, which is always nice.

Longtime Dallas director Vicki Washington made her Jubilee Theatre debut with a stirring production of Sunset Baby, a tough play by Dominique Morisseau about a woman struggling with her anger toward her father, a long absent civil rights activist, and her scary boyfriend. Washington, on a roll since she directed Jonathan Norton’s remarkable world premiere of Mississippi G’damn in February, talks about why she jumped at the chance to direct Sunset Baby, which continues through June 28, with a talkback after the June 25 show.

Christopher Piper (left), William Earl Ray and Whitney Coulter battle over who owns the past and whether it should be cashed in or kept in “Sunset Baby” at Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth. (Photo by Robert W. Hart/Special Contributor)

What attracted you to directing Sunset Baby?
I was asked! When the season was announced, I checked out the play and with the first read, I
was hooked. I know many Kenyattas and several Ninas and Damons. I was grateful that
this story was being explored and in a very meaty, full-throated way. I liked the idea of exploring sacrifice and sacrifices, especially in the area of working for the greater good, while your personal is being neglected. Looking at/examining relationships – a father trying to reconnect/rebuild a relationship; two lovers at odds with each other – We’ve got three folk who are wounded and yet they keep working to build, hopefully together. And I particularly appreciate the language, both poetic and gangsta… and (for those who know me, no surprise here) I deeply appreciate the ways in which Morisseau includes and sometimes highlights the political, cultural and societal air that these folk are breathing and swimming in.

What unexpected challenges, surprises or rewards have you found in your journey through the play?
Challenges: Taking three very “flawed” people and making sure that their humanity and their complexities are present and ring true.
Surprises: At the table we talked about the ways in which this play would resonate with audiences. I am pleasantly surprised… actually it’s not a surprise as much as it is a welcome confirmation that everyone is identifying with one of the three at any given moment. I sat two seats over from a White guy who was clearly well over 60 years old and he was totally feeling Damon, this Black guy half his age. TOTALLY.
Rewards: It has been very rewarding to recognize how the play connects across such a wide range. I am thankful to get to know this writer more fully. (I directed a staged reading of a 10 minute play of hers a few months ago.)

Has the experience of working on this play changed you? How do you you hope it may change audiences?
It’s interesting that you ask me this question. This morning I reposted a status from a friend who saw the play on opening night. At the end of his post, I commented, “ I THANK GOD for the GIFT OF THEATRE and its power to touch, heal, entertain and transform!” I become more patient with myself and with others every time I work on a play J. I don’t know that I’ve changed, I do think I’m getting better… it’s a continuum! As for my hope for changing audiences… hmmmm…I hope that folks will recognize that they all have, we all have choice. We can stay stuck or we can forgive and get release.

What is your favorite part of making your directing debut with Jubilee Theatre?
The perks! Free parking!! The wonderful, easy-going staff and the brilliant design and production team…Talented, hard-working, GREAT cast! The beautiful lights in Sundance Square, I just love downtown Fort Worth. AND being a part of the continuing legacy of Rudy and Marian Eastman! I knew Rudy from my days with the Sojourner Truth Players. When I walk into Jubilee, I am humbled and honored. Theaters all around the country are going belly-up; especially Black Theaters. Jubilee is in its 34th season. The vision of Rudy and Marian and their sacrificial work have paved the way for me and countless others to practice a craft that we love in a space and place that values us and our stories. I do not take it lightly.

Mississippi G’damn by Jonathan Norton, which you directed at South Dallas Cultural Center, was electrifying. What do you think was the source of its power?
OOOOO (that’s not ohhhhhh, that’s oooooooo) NUMBER ONE: Jonathan’s brilliant writing. That is one big-brained young man. I have loved watching his growth from childhood to adulthood. He is quite amazing. That word is tossed around quite a bit. It actually fits Jonathan. Secondly, the subject matter. I am a mid-century woman. The modern day Civil Rights Movement is a part of my DNA. I know the story of Medgar and Myrlie Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer and Bob Moses and the Mississippi Movement; and yet this story that Jonathan has unearthed and fleshed out and brought to us, is one that I could have never dreamed happened. From the very beginning we are drawn in to their lives and we are unable to look away, even in the painful and messy moments. And finally, the process… Mississippi Goddamn was over 3 years in the making. We held developmental readings and Jonathan would take what he heard and a few months later, we would have another reading… four of the six actors were on the project for over 2 years… reading, discussing, eagerly awaiting Jonathan’s rewrites… and a big, big part of the process was the space, funding, support given by the South Dallas Cultural Center, especially, Center Manager, Vicki Meek and Performance Coordinator, Harold Steward. And thank you for that word ‘electrifying’. That it was… both in performance and in preparation.

What is the future for ‘Mississippi G’damn’? Will you be part of any future productions?
A reading was held in March at the Castillo Theater in NYC. I have every intention in being a part of future productions. DID YOU HEAR THAT PEOPLE???

How do ‘Sunset Baby’ and ‘Mississippi G’damn’ fit into the kind of work you like to do?
Well now! The end of my bio states: “A proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, her work in theatre is driven by her love of the craft and the significant way in which it can be utilized to tell the powerful and potent stories of African people throughout the Diaspora.” — There are sooooo many stories in our history, heritage, culture and world-view. I love being a part of the telling.

What do you want audiences to know about ‘Sunset Baby’?
It is a GREAT SHOW. DON’T MISS IT! In addition, I would love for people to know that Sunset Baby is a love story. A complex, complicated, painful, joyous, sexy, tender love story… and isn’t that what love is… that and more!

Is there anything you want to add?
Oh, I’ve talked enough already… well my fingers have. Enough with the talking… GET TO THE THEATRE!

Plan your life

Continues through June 28, with a talkback after the June 25 performance at Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main St., Fort Worth $22-$26. 817-338-4411. jubileetheatre.org.

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Tony Ramirez, Stephen Young and Clay Wheeler from Shakespeare Dallas with Nancy Churnin

I don’t think you’ll ever look at Othello quite the same way again after seeing Shakespeare Dallas rap its way through the play. Check out why I made The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) [revised] one of my top five theater picks along with The Nance at Uptown Players; Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy at Winspear Opera House; Les Misérables at Casa Mañana and The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley at Dallas Children’s Theater.

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Jubilee Theatre’s 35th season of six shows features titles familiar to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, four of them musicals or featuring music, with one, Do You Hear What I Hear! A Jubilee Christmas, a new script for the company’s annual holiday show, written by Akin Babatunde and Geno Young.

Sharon Benge, the theater’s artistic consultant, will direct the season opener, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, a 1986 play with music about Billie Holiday by Lanie Robertson. In a nod to Jubilee’s history as Dallas-Fort Worth’s oldest theater devoted to producing shows about the African American experience, the season will feature God’s Trombones, a 1989 musical with a book by late Jubilee co-founder Rudy Eastman.

Once again, Trinity Shakespeare Festival actors will be alternating comedy with tragedy as the Texas Christian University professional company offers King Lear and Love’s Labour’s Lost in repertory in June.

Artistic director T.J. Walsh will direct Trinity Shakespeare Artistic Associate David Coffee in the title role of King Lear, the story of a king who generates grief when he makes an impetuous, ill-advised choice of inheritance based on which daughter tells him she loves him best.

Adam Adolfo is planning something fresh for the 50th anniversary production of Man of La Mancha at the Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth. The story will be told through the eyes of a contemporary soldier turning to the story of Don Quixote for refuge as he makes a stand against cruelty. In the spirit of the theme, the show will launch a pilot program called Art for Armed Forces that will supply free tickets to any military active duty, reservist, veteran or military retiree. Martin Guerra, who stars as Don Quixote, came to the DMN studio to sing “The Impossible Dream.”

Alison Kaitcer, one of the young playwrights with a staged reading at Circle Theatre, has also written a novella, ‘Hidden,’ for her Junior Honors Thesis project at All Saints’ Episcopal School. (Photo by Kathi Tiffany)

Eight teens whose 10-minute plays were chosen from 70 submitted scripts will receive staged readings of their work as part of Circle Theatre’s annual High School Playwrighting Project Sunday. Four of the plays will be honored as finalists and four as semi-finalists. All the students and their teachers will receive cash stipends, certificates, trophies and tickets to Circle Theatre.

Texas Wesleyan University is offering a $2,000 per year academic scholarship to the finalists if they are accepted to the school and choose to go.

Alison Kaitcer, 17, a junior at All Saints’ Episcopal School, is one of the finalists, with her play, Family Bonding,a story about five high school students stuck in a summer camp bonding session where friendships are formed and secrets revealed.

“I wasn’t trying to write something amazing or mind-blowing,” Kaitcer wrote in an email. “I was trying to write something real.”

This is a second play for Kaitcer, who recently completed her first novella, Hidden, as part of her Junior Honors Thesis at All Saints and was awarded the Cameron Phelan Creative Writing Award at All Saints’ for her essay, March 13, 1915 last week.

Kaitcer plans to pursue playwrighting in college. Her theater arts teacher, James Venhaus, a published playwright, has high hopes for her continued success, he noted in the same email.

“Each of her characters has a distinct voice and she writes with a sharp tongue and quick wit. And, she is just hands-down one of the funniest people I have ever met…I just hope she remembers to thank me in her Tony speech.”

Texas Christian University theatre professor, Alan Shorter, will direct the readings at Circle Theatre, which are free to the public. A reception honoring the students and their teachers will follow the readings and awards ceremony.

The other finalists are Alexander Cook of Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts for Good, Be Good; Nikiya Mellon of Haltom High School for Frame of Reference and Morgan Webster of Boswell High School for If You Say So.

The semi-finalists are Ethan D’Spain of Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts for Ascent;
Sara Jackson of Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts for The Ancient Thai Prophecy; Haley Kimbrough of Haltom High School for White Walls Upside Down and Kristin Robinson of Fort Worth Country Day for Subways.